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FRAGARICULTURE; 



OR THE 



CULTURE 



or THE 



STRAWBERE 

A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE 

Culture, Propagation, Management and 
Marketing of Strawberries. 



ILLUSTRATED 
With Photographs, representing Average Size of Best Varieties. 



ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE FAMILY Gy\RDEN. 



BY FELIX GILLET, 

NEVADA CITY, - - CALIFORNIA. 



SPAULDING & BAETO, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTEES, 

414 Clay Street, below Sansome, San Francisco. 
1876. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Fragariculture 5 

Description 5 

Varieties. 

Selection 

The Soil 

Preparation of the Soil 

Manures 

Time of Setting Strawberries. 

Setting out Strawberries.. . . 

Culture in rows and hills. 

Matted row System 

Mulching . 

Irrigation 

Care of Plants after Setting. . 

Propagation 

Propagation by Seed 

Ke-setting ] 3 

Exposure 14 

Annual Varieties 14 

Biennial Varieties 15 

Everbearing, or Wood Varie- 
ties 16 

Bush- Alpine Varieties 16 

Staminate and Pistillate Plants, 17 
Hybridization 18 



Page. 

Forcing Strawberries 18 

Care to Plants forwarded by 

Mail 20 

Duration of Strawberry Beds 20 
Mode to Perpetuate Strawberry 

beds . 21 

How to make Strawberries last, 21 
Spring Work on Strawberry 

beds 21 

How to raise very large Fruit, 22 
How to pick and keep Straw- 
berries 22 

Packing and Shipping 23 

Insects injurious to Strawber- 
ries , 23 

Maladies of the Strawberry ... 25 
The Art of Preparing Straw- 
berries 26 

Preserving Strawberries 27 

Medicinal Properties of Straw- 
berries . . '. 28 

General Hints on Fragaricul- 
ture 29 

Explanation of Photographs 
and List of best Varieties of 
Strawberries 30 



FRAGARICULTURE ; 



OR THE 



CULTURE 



OF THE 



STEAWBERRT. 



A PRACTICAL TREATISE ON THE 



Culture^ Propagation, Management and 
Marketing of Strawberries. 



ILLUSTRATED 
With Photographs, represent ing Average Size of Best Varieties. 



ESPECIjlLLY ADAPTED TO THE F/MILY GyARDEN. 

— ^ 

, .T' BY FELIX GILLET, 

'^ {\ V NEVADA CITY, - - CALIFORNIA 




SPAULDING & BARTO, STEAM BOOK AND JOB PRINTERS, 

412 Clay Street, below Sansonie, San Francisco. 
1876. 



Entered accordir.g to the Act of Congress, in the year 1876, by 

FELIX GILLET, 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



-f,'^'*'^ 
^^\^^ 



INTRODUCTION 



A lively interest in the culture of small fruit has been 
steadily and of late developing itself on both sides of the 
Atlantic and in this most privileged region, California — 
that Garden of America — j^^^ple of small means finding in 
that pleasant and light industry quite a remunerative profit 
for their labor, and amateurs an ample reward for their en- 
deavors in improving old varieties and originating new 
ones. Bat the Strawberry, more than an}^ of the other 
small fruits, has been unmistakably the great favorite over 
all, and the one which has attracted the most attention 
about its culture and ameliorations; so that to-day more 
than 400 varieties, so different in shape, size and color, 
are, in Europe and America, rivaling each other in berries 
most beautiful, luscious and large. 

The author of this little work, after a long j)i'actice and 
thorough investigation of his subject, and when success 
repeatedly crowned his efforts, as any one in Nevada City 
can readily testify, offers to the public in general this short, 
concise and practical treatise on the culture of the Straws- 
berry, in the hope that this culture, as well and clearly 
understood as described here, will induce people who have 
a garden or land to that effect to improve their homes in 
giving a place to this interesting plant, and raising, either 
for their own table or market purposes, as large and nice 
berries as those w^e are raising here every season. 

A great deal, it is true, has been already written in pe- 
riodicals on the Straw^berry; however, and particularly so 
on this coast, there is a lack of information about its cul- 
ture, and our task is simply to supply a want justly felt and 
give an impetus to this most pleasant business. 



This treatise, we must say, is not precisely written to the 
address of field-gTOwers who cultivate the Strawberry on a 
large scale, but is rather intended for those people who do 
raise strawberries for their own use or on a small scale for 
a near market; though both, we are confident, will find in 
it many hints of much profit or value to them. 

Last, to render the work more attractive yet, we have 
put ourselves to the costly exj)ense of illustrating it with 
beautiful photographs, representing faithfully and — as' no 
wood cuts could do — the average size and exact shape of 
berries of the best known varieties. 

We will, therefore, tell to you, gentle reader, read and 
peruse our little book ; then go to work in your garden, 
improve 3^our home by setting out Strawberry plants and 
you will be munificently rewarded for your pains and in- 
dustry by getting a bountiful supply of this most delicious 
and popular of all fruits, and for a dish of which old Jove 
and the gods had kicked the divine ambrosia, if, at that 
time, America, which gave us the annual Strawberry, the 
only one cultivated now-a-days, had been discovered. 




3 



ALCQTT PINEAPPLE. 



Fragariculture. 



The Strawbeny plant, in Latin Fragaria, is a native of 
the northern hemisphere — ^Europe and America — and also 
of the most southern parts of South America and the Mo- 
luccas Islands, but with this difference, that the Wood, 
Perpetual and Alpine varieties are all natives of Europe, 
while the beautiftd scarlet annual varieties have originated 
in America {Fragaria Virginiana), the white annual in 
Chile, and Pineapj^le varieties in the Moluccas. 

From the word Fragaria the French have made Fragari- 
culture, the culture of the Strawberry; Fragariculturist, the 
person that cultivates and raises Strawberries. Why 
shouldn't we adopt in English those very words, as we did 
already with Sericulture (the raising of silk), ViticuVure 
(the culture of the grape), Viniculture (the manufacturing 
of wine), and so forth ? This hint is humbly submitted to 
all those interested in the culture of the Strawberry. 

Description. 

That beautiful and delicious little fruit, the very first one 
to ripen in our latitude, is so w^ell known of every one that 
a minute description of the fruit is needless. Let us say, 
however, that, according to varieties. Strawberries take all 
kinds of shapes, round, oblong, conical, triangular, flat, 
etc., and all shades of red, from dark to light scarlet, from 
crimson to a pale rosy tint. The pale-colored Strawberries 
are generally the sweetest and best flavored ones; the lar- 
gest are the Hybrids, obtained in crossing the White Chile 
to the Virginia Scarlet and Surinam Pineapple varieties. 
Annuals have the nicest flavor, but the W^ood, or Everbear- 
ing, are the most fragrant. 

Varieties, 

Strawberries may be divided in two distinct families, the 
Everbearing and Annual, each family dividing itself up 
into species and each species into so many varieties. Under 
their respective heads, we shall speak of each family sepa- 
rately. 



G 

There are already over 400 named varieties of Strawber- 
ries both in Europe and America, differing mainly in the 
size of plants, shape of leaves, number of runners, size, 
color and shape of berries, time of ripening, etc. On the 
37 varieties kept on our place, this difference is rather strik- 
ing, more than anybody would expect at first sight from 
such an insignificant little plant as the Strawberry. 

Selection, 

People starting Strawberry beds might be at a loss what 
varieties to select among so many. Here is what we would 
advise them to do: In the first place, get the address of a 
conscientious, reliable nurseryman; leave it to him as to 
the selection of varieties, but have very early, early, half 
late and late sorts. Another point to which we call the at- 
tention of all interested — that plants of an wferior variety 
that cost but little are a great deal dearer than those of a 
superior variety which have to be paid a big price; indeed, 
the price of plants amounts to very little, for a dozen of 
plants will give in the same season, through their runners, 
hundreds of well-rooted plants. It is a very poor economy 
to cultivate thoroughly a piece of land, manure it well, and 
set plants of poor varieties because they are cheap. We 
therefore advise people to procure, whatever the}^ cost, the 
finest, largest and most productive varieties, and when ig- 
norant about which are the best, to leave it to the nursery- 
man, who has no interest at all in deceiving customers as 
to the nicest varieties kept by him. 

The Soil. 

If we were asked in what kind of soil the Strawberry 
thrives the best, we wouldn't be ver^^ apt to answer; but if 
we were asked in what kind of soil it cannot grow, we 
should be still more at a loss what to say. However, some 
varieties do better in certain soils than others, yielding 
larger crops and berries of a superior quality; anybody 
will find that out by a two or three years' experience. 

The Strawberry grows everywhere, at all exposures, in 
every kind of soil ; though in calcareous, sandy and light 
soil the fruit is better flavored and more delicate. A 
southern ex230sure diminishes the quantity but imj^roves 
the quality; that of the north, the reverse. This is as a 
general rule; for here, in the foothills of the Sierra, we 
have obtained enormous crops of well flavored berries 
at all exposures. It is due likely to the clear sky of our 
beautiful climate, the sun spreading constantly and lavishly 



its warm rays all round, causing, therefore, very little dif- 
ference between both exposures. If having but very little 
water to irrigate with , we would rather advise our Califor- 
nia fragariculturists to give a northern, somewhat shady ex- 
2)osure to their Strawl)erry beds. 

Preparation of the Soil. 

This is the most important point in Strawberry raising, 
and the whole secret for us having succeeded so splendidly 
on our barren hill The soil must be thoroughly broken 
up, the depth varying according to its nature; if, for in- 
stance, the surface ground is deep and soft, there is very 
little work to do outside of plowing and spading; but when 
that surface is only from six to twelve inches thick, and 
hard withal, it is absolutely necessary to break up the soil 
at a depth of eighteen inches. This is the way we do it : 
If the piece of ground we want to break up is sloping, we 
commence by the upper end, digging out a trench three 
feet wide and eighteen inches deep, taking the dirt, with a 
wheelbarrow, to the lower end of the field to till up the 
last trench with; then we throw the dirt from the second 
trench into that one just digged out, and so on to the end 
of the bed, niveling up at the same time. This may be 
called a costly way of preparing the soil, but we can prove 
that it is really the cheapest. The advantages of having 
the soil so broken up are, indeed, manifold: First, all the 
weeds and seeds that covered the surface are entirely done 
with, buried, as they are, over a foot in the ground; sec- 
ondly, the roots of the Strawberry plants, having a chance 
to plunge down into the good top dirt now in the bottom, 
strong, luxuriant, healthy plants, with no vacancies at all, 
soon cover with their green foliage the whole surface; 
thirdly, the jolants will resist the summer's drought so 
much'^better, their roots being able to run down as deep as 
the soil has been broken up; fourthly, when irrigating— 
and in California we have to resort to irrigation because of 
the total absence of rain, through our dry and hot sum- 
mers—the soil does hold the moisture better and longer 
whether it is irrigated by immersion or submersion; by im- 
mersion the water wdll go down first into the bottom, to rise 
up, little by little, to the surface; by submersion, it will 
run down ^from the surface clear to the deep bottom. 
Strawberry beds so irrigated will stand a month of drought 
without wilting any; at any rate, the deeper go the roots, 
the stronger will the plants be, and the less manure and 
water will they require. 



Manures. 

This is almost as important an item in Strawberry grow- 
in «' as the thorough culture and breaking up of the soil. 
All kinds of manure will do for the Strawberry, though we 
prefer well decomposed barn manure to any other. It is bet- 
ter to have manure hauled up through the smnmer and 
dumped into a hole and watered so that it will rot without 
heating too much. Ashes, street-sweepings, etc., might be 
mixed to common barn manure if the latter is scarce or high. 
If fresh manure conld only be obtained when setting plants in 
the fall, it would not make much difference, such manure 
having time to rot in the ground during the winter. In 
dry soil, a mixing up of horse and cow manure, or cow ma- 
nure alone with ashes, or anything to bring moisture to the 
ground, is very desirable. Liquid manure can be used with 
much advantage, especially after the setting of young- 
plants, but people must be very careful when using liquid 
manure, which is very powerful and hot; to do it when the 
plants are well and strongly rooted. This recommendation 
applies to vegetables as well as to Strawberry plants. 
Many persons, not knowing any better, give liquid manure 
to their plants just a few days after setting. It is wrong, 
and very often kills off the plants. 

Time of Setting Strawberries. 

Wherever it can be done— for in some parts of the 
United States the intense cold of the winter prevents doing 
it — the best time for setting out Strawberry plants is cer- 
tainly the fall. In the first place, plants set out early do 
grow good roots before the winter sets in, so that they can 
stand well the frost. Then, with such a good start, they 
will grow very stoutly the ensuing season; so much so that 
the Biennial varieties (see that heading) will yield quite a 
crop in the fall. Another good reason for setting out plants 
in the fall, is that, at that time of the year, there is, on any 
place, more leisure to do the work than in the spring, 
when work crowds up from all sides. 

When the plot to set out Strawberry plants has been 
broken up during the winter, which is, in this State, the 
best time of the year for doing it, it is well to manure it in 
the spring and raise a crop of early j^otatoes or peas, corn, 
etc., such crops in fact that can be taken out in or before 
the fall; then manure it again, and set in the Strawberry 
plants. This we found a good plan to pursue, for a newly- 
broken-up ground is rather poor, and this raising of a crop 



preparatoiy to setting Strawberry plants makes up the soil, 
and a new manuring renders it plent}^ rich enough for the 
Strawberry- plants to thrive in it splendidly. 

Setting out Strawberries. 

The ground being well plowed and harrowed if a large 
field, well spaded and leveled if a small one, all that has 
to be done is to stretch out a cord so as to have the plants 
set in straight rows; then, arming oneself wdth a gardener's 
trowel, to go to work digging out rooted runners and plant- 
ing them. Where the ground is stiff enough, it is best to 
dig out the plants so that much of the dirt will stick to the 
roots, forming like a little cube from 2 to 3 inches square. 
If tlie ground was dry at the time, it would have to be 
watered some before taking up the plants; the dirt would 
then cut easier and stick better, too. When tbe ground is 
light and sandy, plants have to be taken out just as they 
come, with or without dirt sticking to the roots. Of course, 
we are speaking of plants grown on one's place. Now as 
to the setting out, when the plants have been taken up with 
a sod of earth, all that has to be done is to dig out a little 
hole with the trowel, stick the plant into it and fill up the 
interstices Avith dirt. If the roots are loose it is best to dig- 
out a little hole large enough for enabling to place in the 
center a handful of earth, rounded up in a conical form, the 
plant being set on the top of this little mound with the 
roots well spread out. But never stick the plant in the 
hole in a heap; better take a little more pains, do it right, 
and not a single vacancy will occur. No matter how moist 
is the ground, and the weather be cloudy or not, always 
water Strawl^erry plants after setting. 

Culture in Rows and Hills. 

The row and hill system is certainly the best of all, 
especially to raise large and line fruit. The rows should 
be two feet apart, thirty to thirty-six inches if irrigating by 
running water in each row like it is done in California. 
The plants should be set, the large growing sorts two feet 
from eacli other in the row, the smaller ones from twelve 
to eighteen inches. 

During the first year, as the plants take very little place, 
a row of small vegetables ma}^ be raised between the rows 
of Strawberry plants, such like onion, garlic, lettuce, etc. 

The word "hill," used under this head, does not mean that 



10 

the plants are set on a little mound; the term comes from 
the particular manner Strawberry plants so grown are 
treated, the runners being clipped off so thit the plants 
stand by themselves as so many little hills. 

Matted Row System. 

This method is resorted to with certain varieties of Straw- 
berries, or in places where it would offer some natural 
advantages on the row and hill system. Plants have to 
be set out in the same manner as described above, in rows 
two feet apart, and a certain number of rows to every 
matted bed; three feet of clear ground beitif? kept between 
the beds. Runners are allowed to run and root inside of 
the rows, but not on that strip of clear ground which has 
to be spaded or plowed in the spring. That wa}^ there are 
matted beds at every alternate space. Weeds must not be 
allowed to take a start on the plants, and have to be un- 
mercifully pulled out as soon as they put up an appear- 
ance, or at least before they seed out. The same thing, 
of course, applies to the hill system concerning weeds, 
though a hoe or cultivator can be used instead of the fin- 
gers, as it is the case with matted rows. Some varieties 
of Strawberries, like the French, New Jersey Scarlet, and 
others, do very well in matted rows. 

Mulching. 

To raise clean and nice berries, the beds have to be well 
mulched. Horse manure, straw, new mown grass, well rot- 
ted tan bark, planing-mill shavings, pine leaves, etc., are all 
materials used for mulching purposes; in fact, on^ has to 
use the material most at hand and consequently the cheap- 
est. On our place, we use pine leaves, and we must say 
that it constitutes the best mulching knoAvn; for heavy 
rains do not wash or cut the beds that are sloping; no 
weeds grow from the use of it; it keeps a long time before 
it is rotten enough to have it replaced, the ground is kept 
nicely moistened underneath, and the air is not prevented 
of getting under as it might be with other material. 

The trouble with manure-mulching is the quantity of 
weeds that will surel}^ come out from its use; and if the ma- 
nure is too new, numbers of insects will make their abode un- 
der it. When the beds have to be manured or cultivated the 
mulching material has to be raked up in small piles in 



11 

every alternate row, and scattered back over the beds when 
the work is done; never turn it into the ground unless it is 
well rotten. In California, mulching is almost indisjDensable; 
more so when water for irrigation is scarce. But in this 
State, even high up among the foot-hills of the Sierra 
Nevada, where it is quite cold in winter, we do not need 
winter mulching as they do in the Eastern States, to pre- 
vent upheaving, though we do leave on the ground the 
mulching used in the hot season. 

Irrigation. 

In California no Strawberries of any account can be very 
well raised without resorting to irrigation, so dry are our 
summer months; planted and cultivated in a slipshod w^ay 
they would surely all dry up and die; but set in ground 
broken up deep, well manured and cultivated as described 
above, Straw^berry plants will only dry up some, if not irri- 
gated, but not die, the fall rains starting them up anew. 

We would here advise our eastern Fragariculturists to 
experiment watering or irrigating, when it can be done 
without much trouble or expense; we are satisfied that they 
wall find a very big difference between irrigated and unirri- 
gated Strawberry fields. Another fact which has been 
found by French and English horticulturists, is that Straw- 
berries do prefer artificial watering to the natural moisture 
of the soil or rain. 

Irrigation might be done by immersion or submersion 
if the soil is deep, naturally so, or, by having had the ground 
broken up to a good depth, small ditches can be digged out 
every fifteen or twenty feet, the water being permitted to 
run but slowly into the ditches, so that it would not wash 
over; it will thus soak down all along the under soil, if the 
land is in the least sloping, and rise up from the bottom to 
the top. Submersion is done by the use of hose with 
sprinklers, or simply by letting the w^ater run into very 
small trenches, one trench to each row; the water being 
conducted to the rows through small boxes having holes to 
let the water out in front of each row. Very little trouble 
is thus given in irrigating Strawberries. With this system 
of irrigation, rows have to be well apart, at least two feet. 

Strawberries need absolutely water, whichever way it 
comes, from the clouds or reservoir, from the time the fruit 
is taking shape to ripening time. 



12 



Care of Plants after Setting. 

Strawberry plants after being duly set, have to be watched 
all the year around. In the first place blossom stems have to 
be unmercifully taken off on jolants set in the spring, for 
young plants must not bear any fruit the first season, if 
good size plants and a full crop of fruit the first bearing 
year is desired. Then the fruit that such young plants 
bear do not amount to anything, so it is cheaper and better 
to sacrifice a few berries and let the plants get strong and 
thrifty first. This rule applies likewise t() all kinds of 
fruit. 

Runners have to be continually destroved; they have to 
be taken off before getting rooted"; if not, it would be a long 
and tedious job. We do it when they are one foot long, 
and always use a knife or scissors, but never pull them off 
violently with the fingers. 

Strawberry beds must be kept entirely free of weeds, 
and they have to be pulled out, too, before the seed gets 
ripened. Besides being kept clear of weeds and runners, 
the surface must be well loosened up. For people who 
raise Strawberries on a small scale, the best thing to use 
is a spading fork; the mulching need not be taken off, the 
ground being hft up here aud there with the fork without 
turning it over. 

You cannot expect a good crop of large, nice berries if 
you do not keep the beds clean and the earth loosened. 
The ground must be kept moist enough to prevent the 
wilting of the plants. After the berries are all i^icked, it 
is well to clip off' the plants close to their crown, fork up 
the space between the rows, and water iuimediately; in this 
way, we get rid at the same time of old leaves, friiit stems, 
and runners; the plants soon throwing out new, fresh' 
green leaves as thick as ever. ' 

Propagation. 

There are three ways of propagating Strawberries: 
First, by runners; second, by division of the roots of old 
plants; third, by seed. 

For propagating purposes by the first method, runners, 
it IS well to have plants of each variety set in a separate 
bed, and far enough from each other to prevent the mixino- 
up of runners. For a small garden, the runners of a few 
plants are more than sufficient. To make runners root 



IS 



quicker dirt and manure are thrown over them, and water 
criven frequentlv. We have in this way obtained several 
hundred good 'looted plants from the runners of three 
single plants set in the spring. ^ n i j- 

Strawberry plants mav be very well propagated by di- 
vision of the roots of old plants, though rooted runners 
are preferable whenever they can be obtained, as it is the 
case with annual sorts Those two ways of propagating 
Strawberries will reproduce exactly the same varieties. 

Propagation by Seed. 

The largest and linest Strawberries must be selected, but 
picked only wdien well ripened, smashed m water, the seed 
falling to the bottom of the vessel used to that efiect; it is 
then taken out, laid on a cloth to drain some, mixed to hne 
and dry dirt and sowed immediately. A small bed, rather 
shaded, with a good top dressing of rich dirt obtained from 
old hot-beds, is selected, the surface having been when 
leveled and watered with a fine-holed sprinkler; the seed 
is then thrown even on that bed, and a little dirt sitted out 
so as to just cover the seed. This little bed must be kept 
in the best exposed part of the place, shaded from the too 
hot sun, and watered slightly but quite often; m two weeks 
the seed will come out, and when the plants are six weeks 
to two months old, thev are good to be set out. _ 

The seed might be kept till the ensuing spring, if desired; 
but, in that case, it must be well dried in the shade when 
taken out of the water. 

The propagation of the Strawberry by seed is very un- 
certain, different varieties being thus obtained; and though 
some niav produce a higher and better grade of plants, 
great manv are worthless. With Everbearing or Alpine 
varieties, the case is diflterent, the original type being re- 
produced every time. 

Re-Setting. 

When three to four years old, according to varieties, 
Strawberry plants get their crown too much out ot the 
ground, so that to make them fruit as good as before it is 
necessary to either re-set them, or else have new earth trom 
another part of the garden, scattered all over the beds thick 
enough to have the plants well earthed up. By such a pro- 
cess, new roots will form over the old ones, and the plants 
throwing out more fruit buds, will, therefore, yield a larger 



14 

crop. Before scattering that new dirt over the beds, it 
would be a good plan to previously fork up the ground and 
cover it with a coat of manure which would be sufficiently 
buried into the ground. 

A good way of re-setting Strawberry 2)lants is this: Take 
a sharp spade, cut the ground on four sides around the 
plants; if the soil was too dry, it would have to be watered 
first, to permit the dirt to stick well to the roots, and with 
a lift throw wp the plant with sod, dig out t])e hole deep 
enough to receive in its bottom a little well rotten manure, 
throw in a little water, put back the plants with sod into 
the hole, seeing that the tops are well out, fill up the in- 
terstices with dirt, manure and spade the space between 
the rows, and water if you can. Such re-set beds will 
bear nicely for two more years. Previously to re-setting 
always trim up the tops of plants, and if the ground has 
been mulched, pat back the mulching, which, during the 
operation, has to be raked out of the way. 

Exposure. 

According to most experienced fragariculturists, and we 
agree with them on that point, the very best exposure for 
Strawberries is an open one, not overshaded at least, and 
well exposed to the vivifying rays of the sun, and to light. 
In our California mountains, under the hot sun of June and 
July, the southern exposure is even the best one if water is 
used liberally; however, any exposure will do as long as it. 
is an open one; the only difference is that at the south Straw- 
berry beds will bear earlier than at the north. A little 
shelter from trees and bushes is sometimes a good protec- 
tion against late frosts. 

In Europe, where rain and cloudy weather are very com- 
mon in the spring and summer, it is said that Strawberries 
are better flavored and more delicate if raised in sandy or 
calcareous soil, and that a southern exposure diminishes the 
quantity, but augments the quality; and rice versa with 
a northern exposure. 

Annual Varieties. 

In olden times varieties of Strawberries were rather lim- 
ited, and Strawberry beds were chiefly supplied for new 
plants from the w^oods, where did and does grow yet those 
monthly sorts known as Wood, Four-seasons, Alpine, and 
which all bear a very small though very fragrant berry. 



15 

But at the beginning- of this century, horticulturists exper- 
imented on the American or Annual sorts, of which the 
beautiful Yirginiana Scarlet is the mother type, and 
obtained new varieties by seed, crossed them to the Pine or 
Surinam; also to the Chile White, all Annuals; so to-day, 
those magniticent Annual varieties have driven poor little 
Wood and Alpine almost completely out of the market. 

The main quality of the Annual Strawberry is its splen- 
did flavor and its large, sometimes enormous size. The 
Wood and Alpine are certainly more fragrant, the Annuals 
having been unable yet to equal those Everbearing va- 
rieties on that particular point; but the flavor of the latter 
is so peculiar tliat as long as Annuals can be had, there can 
be no demand for Everbearing sorts. 

It is the Annual that wants an open exposure, sun and 
light; while the Wood and Alpine humbly rejoice in the 
shade. 

Biennial Varieties. 

Those are Annuals that give a second crop from August 
to November. To that effect, the plants are completely 
clipped oft' clear to the crown, the ground cultivated and 
watered; after such an operation and in keeping constantly 
the ground moist enough, the plants soon throw out new 
leaves and fruit buds, which will fruit before the winter sets 
in, particularly if the operation is done right after the 
summer crop is all picked. We do treat plants of all vari- 
eties, as well Annuals as Biennials, the same way, and 
found out that only four varieties out of forty raised on our 
place are really Biennial. Those four Biennials are Amador, 
Princess Dagmar, Garibaldi and Alice Nicholson, Amador 
having been originated by us. It is the first one to bear in 
the fall. The three other varieties are English and belong 
to the pale-colored class of Strawberries, a cross, by hy- 
bridization, between the Virginia Scarlet and Chile White. 

In the fall of 1875, so mild was the season, we picked 
Strawberries as late as Christmas from those Biennial 
varieties. 

A bed of Biennials, to bear well, has to be thoroughly 
watered through the summer, so much so from the time the 
plants throw out blossoms. Young plants bear the best in 
the fall. 



16 



Everbearing, or Wood Varieties. 

Though the Annuals have really dethroned this class of 
Strawberries, still their everbearing qualities make them de- 
sirable in every garden; for when the Annuals are gone and 
we have had time to forget their savory taste, the fra- 
grant little Everbearing is very welcome, at a time, too, 
that all kinds of small fruit are entirely done with. A dish 
of Perpetual or Buisson de Gaillon right in the fall is not 
a very bad dish after all. We will, therefore, give here a 
special chapter on their culture. 

The AVood varieties throw out runners like Annuals, and 
can be pro2)agated the same way. Enough runners are al- 
lowed to take r.'ot so as to give new plants for the ensuing 
year; a plantation of Everbearing having to be renewed 
every yenv, it* much of a crop is desired. 

Those rooted runners have to be planted in the fall of 
the year, fourteen inches apart at least, and all around. The 
first runners that will come out in the spring have to be 
taken off, to give strength to the mother plant. In June 
and July — not before— four to live runners to each plant 
are allowed to root, every new one coming out afterwards 
being destroyed. 

In the ensiling fall all the plants are taken out, the 
ground manured, and the plantation renewed w^ith rooted 
runners saved for that purj^ose. Mulching is absolutely 
necessary with those Perpetual or Wood sorts, and it is 
done thick to prevent runners of rooting too easily. 

Plants may be set in the^spring, though, wherever it can 
be done, the fall is preferable. 

Never take the most vigorous runners for new plants, 
they blooming even before they are well rooted; then they 
degenerate and, in fact, do not do well. Small, young run- 
ners are the best. It is all the reverse, of course, with An- 
nuals. 

Bush- Alpine Varieties. 

The Bush- Alpine, or Buisson de Gaillon, are remarkable 
for their complete absence of runners, growing in nice, 
comjDact bunches of finely cut leaves, which render them 
very desirable for borders. The fruit is small, of a beauti- 
ful red, and very fragrant, parting freely from the hull or 
calyx in picking. They are propagated either by the di- 
vision of the roots of old plants or by seed. Plants have 
to be set as early as practicable in the fall, to have them 



17 

well rooted before the winter sets in. In cold climates none 
ought to be set after the 1st of November; Bush- Alpine, 
having very few roots, wouldn't hold enough n gainst the 
heaving propensities of frosts, or else would bo buried 
into the ground bv heavy rains, both of which would ruin 
the plants. If not made in the fall, such plantations can be 
done very well in the spring, only they have to be watered 
quite often to insure their growth 

Plants have to be set one foot apart all around, with the 
crown well out. If propagated b}^ seed, see that heading- 
above. Plantations of Bush- Alpine have to be renewed 
every year. They bear, and abundantly, from June to De- 
cember. However, as in June there is plenty of Annuals, 
it is well to cut oil' all the spring blost?oms to secure a fine 
crop in the fall. 

The Wood, or Perpetual Strawberry, is round, the Bush- 
Alpine is oval. Their flavor is quite diflterent from that of 
Annuals, though they are more fragrant. 

Staminate and Pistillate Plants. 

Annuals are divided into two classes, one that bears 
staminate blossoms, the other pistillate blossoms. To 
make our readers better acquainted with the subject — and 
they have to understand it well if desirous to cross varie- 
ties hj hybridization — let us take hold of a perfect 
Strawberr}^ blossom; you will notice that the very middle 
of the little flower is composed of a small, well rounded 
cone, with little hair like all over, of the same size and of 
a yellow tint, this little cone developing itself into a berry 
if fertilized; that little cluster of yellow hair are the pistils, or 
male organ of the plant; therefore, blossoms that have noth- 
ing else but pistils are called pistillate. Staminate blosoms, 
instead of a cluster of pistils, have long, yellow anthers, 
whicli bear that fine fertilizing dust called pollen; those an- 
thers are the stamens, or female organ of the plants, and 
such blossoms are called staminate. Pistillate plants, set 
by themselves, will not bear any fruit, though blooming 
profusely. People ignorant of tliat particularity in Straw- 
berry' blossoms are much disap}){)inted wiien chancing to 
have on their place but pistillate varieties. To fertilize 
them, staminate varieties are planted among them. 

There is a third class of blossoms, called Perfect blos- 
soms, or hermaphrodite. It is distinctly composed of a 
cluster of pistils very close together, and of a large number 
of anthers, or stamens, standing all round the pistils like 



]8 

long threads, bearing on their toj^ the pollen, or fecundat- 
ing dust. Such blossoms all come to fruit; hence their 
name of Perfect blossoms. All the Everbearing sorts of 
Strawberries, Wood or Alpine, do bear none but Perfect 
blossoms; old folks, from their Everbearing, uniform bear- 
ing and productiveness, preferred them for a long time to 
the new American or Annual varieties till they knew better. 

Hybridization. 

From what precedes, our readers will understand better 
the manner of crossing varieties by artificial fecundation 
or hybridization, and so obtain new varieties. The method 
generally employed in America is this : Fertilizing imper- 
fect blossoms with perfect ones, and sow^ing the seeds of 
the cross so obtained. An imperfect blossom plant is 
planted among several of the perfect blossom sorts, and 
that plant will bear the cross between both varieties. But 
this kind of hybridization is too uncertain, while the 
method followed in Europe, and through which have been 
originated the most njagnificent and greatly varied kinds 
which are a pride to the Europtan horticulturist, is quite 
different and more elaborate. Varieties possessing oppo- 
site characters are only used for crossing purposes, though 
they must belong to the same race. For instance, it would 
not do to cross nn Everbearing variety with an Annual. 
To be successful in obtaining new and superior sorts of 
Strawberries, one has to select races as pure as possible, 
bearing fine strawberries of good quality and large size. 
Having thus selected the two sorts to hybridize, the first 
thing to be done is to " castrate" the plant to be crossed 
on, in taking off, with a pair of fine tweezers, the stamens or 
anthers of its flowers, the operation being done to half a 
dozen of flowers; then pollen has to be carried from flow- 
ers of the kind to cross, on a fine hair brash, and set on 
the pistils of the castrated flowers. Every new flower 
that comes out after the operation has to be destroyed; 
none, in fact, but the artificially fecundated ones being al- 
lowed to fruit. When the berries are quite ripened, the}^ 
are picked, the seed extracted and sowed immediately. The 
fruit obtained from the new plants, which would fruit 
eighteen months after the sowing of the seed, constitutes 
the new variet}-. 

Forcing St awberries. 

In the vicinity of large cities, where primeurs are eagerly 
sought for and readily paid what they are worth, it might 



19 

be profitable to force Strawberries; so we shall give the best 
method known for obtaining Strawberries earlier than those 
grown naturally. 

The plants are set in pots several weeks before forcing 
time, and placed under glass in a hot-bed, and in snch a man- 
ner that the tops of the plants be only two or three inches 
from the glass. Ihe Strawberry plants set in the open 
ground in the spring are those that give in July the best 
runners to force hereafter. At the time that runners so 
spread out, fine dirt is thrown over them to make them 
root quicker. In the course of a week they will be rooted 
enough to set out; for when the roots are still white the 
transiDlanting succeeds so much better. In the last pavt of 
September or the first half of October the}^ are taken from 
the bed where they had been transplanted, and set in pots, 
and kept outside till the time has come to put them under 
glass, which, in a temperate climate, is done about Janu- 
ary or February, and according to the time the fruit is 
needed. 

Now-a-days, hot-beds for primeurs of all kinds are heated 
by a thermosiphon, and instead of filling up the hot-bed 
frame with manure and tan bark, an empty space is left in 
the lower part of the frame, where the hot water pipes are 
laid, a floor being built over them and at ten inches from 
the top, which floor is laden with eight to nine inches of 
tan bark or sawdust or sand, tan bark being the best. The 
pots are then plunged into the tan. 

At night and when the weather is cold, the glass must be 
covered with mats or hot-bed sash; air given inside when 
the weather is fine and warm; but the sashes must be put 
down a little before sunset to keep in the warm air; in a 
word, the sashes must be opened when it is getting warm, 
and covered with mats as soon as it gets cold; besides, the 
frame has to be banked up with fresh horse manure, so as 
to obtain as much heat as possible. The plants must be 
watered lightly with milkwarm water, that watering being 
always done on evening before shutting down the sashes. 
When blooming time has come and the fruit is ah-eady 
formed, it is well to take off every new blossom. If the 
sun is getting too hot, shade the hot-bed. As soon as the 
fruit is formed, water has to be given quite often, but never 
use liquid manure if you do not wish to have 3'our plants 
all killed. Liquid manure is good for forcing plants set 
out in the open ground. Pure, slightly warm water is the 
best, and it must be poured, too, right at the foot of the 
plants and not sprinkled all over them. As soon as the 



20 

fruits are coloring, watering might cease. Of course, 
weeds have to be taken out, and insects of any kind hunted 
out and killed. 

Strawberiies might be obtained outside a couple weeks 
earlier than the main crop^ by setting plants in well exposed 
and sheltered ground, naturalh' or artificially sheltered. 
When the weather is getting too cold, the plants are cov- 
ered up. 

Cares to Plants Forwarded by Mail, 

Plants sent out by mail or express from a great distance 
arrive sometimes in a rather dried-up condition, and are 
hardly fit to be planted. Such plants have to be plunged 
in water, a little bit warm, and left in it to soak and revive, 
that is, between six to eight hours, set out at once and wa- 
tered, whether the ground is wet or not, the weather clear 
or cloudy. Q.liey must be watered every day till they show 
signs of growing; if the weather gets too hot, shade the 
plants. In this way we have succeeded wit li plants forwarded 
from Europe to Nevada City, and that were some thirty 
days on the way, in a mail-bag, some 132 days in a box 
with other plants. 

Duration of Strawberry Beds. 

A plantation of Straw^berries, according to varieties, will 
last from two to five years. When two years old, however, 
the beds have to be well manured, in the fall the better, 
and the plants banked up or re-setted. If runners are 
too much allowed to run and root, it injures somewhat the 
plants, abridges their life and diminishes considerably their 
yield, the sap being spent for nothing; and this effort at 
reproducing itself enervates and weakens the mother 
plant. 

The stirring up of the surface, manuring, spading, hoe- 
ing and all the other cares of a Strawberry plantation, will 
prolong its existenr-e and make it 3deld a year and more 
longer. 

The more rich, shaded and moist is the ground, the 
more space have the plants, the longer, then, will be their 
duration and more certain will be the crop. 

Strawberry x^lants set by themselves, in hills, are those 
that last the iongest. 




THE LADY 



I 



21 

Mode to Perpetuate Strawberry Beds. 

Rotation is as good to gTound set for a Strawberry plan- 
tation than to any other crops. So, when Strawdoerry 
plants are o-etting too okl, they are digged out, burned up 
in }iiles and the ashes spread over the ground — which has 
to be well manured — and a crop of vegetables raised on 
the first year and planted back in Strawberries the ensuing 
fall. If, however, the garden was too small to admit such 
a rotation, and no other room could be had on the place 
where to set a new Strawdjerry bed, then the best would be 
to take out about nine inches of dirt from the old bed and 
have new one from any part of the garden put in its place, 
manure it and set young plants, rooted runners being al- 
ways the best ones. 

How to make Strawberries last. 

So delicious is the Strawberry, that people are not con- 
tented with having some during their usual season, but 
want them to last a longer time. The way to have Straw- 
berries half the year round is to plant, to a very good ex- 
posure, beds of very early varieties; then, to an ordinary 
exposure, early and half earl.y varieties; at a northern ex- 
posure, half late and late ones; last, at both exposures, 
beds of Everbearing, Wood and Alpines. That way, 
Strawberries will be picked till the middle of July on An- 
nual varieties and till November on Everbearing ones. 

Spring Work on Strawberry Beds. 

When the winter is over and before the plants start out 
growing, the beds must be cleaned up. First, the mulch- 
ing is raked out of the way; then, with a long knife, are 
the dead leaves and old stems cut off close to the crown of 
the plants. Leaves and stems might be burned up and the 
ashes scattered over the ground. Next, the ground is forked 
or spaded — we prefer the fork to the spade, because it 
does not cut or hurt the roots any — weeds pulled out^and 
the beds watered, if it is hot at the time, and w^ater on 
hand — water will invigorate the plants that get more or less 
fatigued by the operation. In stirring up the surface, 
earth might be drawn round the plants to make them 
gi'ow new roots, and roots always start below the crowns. 

From the time Straw^berry beds are so worked, the}^ have to 
be watered once in a while, according to the weather; with 
a good mulching, a weekly watering will be sufficient. If 



^9, 



the beds have not been manured before the winter, it can 
be done immediately after the plants have been cleaned up, 
but only well rotted manure has to be used. 

Composts might be made before the winter sets in and 
used in the spring for manuring Strawberry beds. 

How to Raise Very Large Fruit. 

In the first place, set out plants obtained by hybridiza- 
tion, if having any; if not, plants of your largest varieties; 
set them in rich ground and at a good exposure. Water 
several times with liquid manure, which can be had by 
throwing, in a barrel half full with water, horse and hen 
manure, guano, urine and even human manure. Be care- 
ful not to wet the leaves, but pour this liquid manure right 
at the foot of the plants. To prevent the liquid of running 
over, the ground has to be loosened around the plants. 
The next thing is to take ofi' all the fruit stems but one 
or two, leaving but two or three berries on each stem. 
Yery large berries are thus obtained. 



How to pick and keep Strawberries. 

It is a very simple and easy thing to pick Straw- 
berries, still very few people know how to do it. 
With Bush-Alpine and certain Annual varieties, berries 
parting freely from their hull or calyx, their picking is 
easily made. But with most Annuals, the fruit do not part 
so freely from the calyx into which it is imbedded, and the 
picking must be done by taking hold of the stem of the 
fruit with the thumb and forefinger and cutting it off 
Avith the thumb's nail. It is very essential, particularly 
when Strawberries have to be shipped to a distant market, 
to pick the berries with the hull and part of the stem 
on, they will keep so much better. All berries that are 
picked without hull and stem adhering to it are set aside 
for immediate use; such Strawberries when packed among 
the others, are apt to dirting and spoiling the good ones 
by their juice running out 

With very large varieties whose fruit weighs from one 
ounce to one ounce and a half, it is better to make them 
rest on little forks made of wood and stuck in the ground, 
to prevent the berries of dirting and being attacked by cer- 
tain insects. Some people use a little prop or support 
made of wire. A thick mulching might be all that is neces- 
sary for preventing the fruit of getting dirty, but not to 
prevent insects from going after them, and somehow they 



2B 

seem to prefer feasting on the very largest and finest ber- 
ries. 

To keep Strawberries, they have to be picked before 
their complete maturity, set in a shallow box and stored in 
a cool place. If they are dirty, do not wash them; that 
has to be done anyhow half an hour before serving them 
on the table. 

Packing and Shipping. 

Since Strawberries are cultivated on a large scale, people 
have to look to a distant market for their crop. So far, 
packing in this country is done very carelessly, and, as a 
consequence, Strawberries arrive to any distant and even 
near market, bruised, moulded, sour and hardly fit to eat. 
This we see every year ujd here with early Strawberries 
shipped from San Francisco. When near a market, small 
baskets holding from one to two pounds might be used; the 
more shallow they are, however, the better. We have been 
using, this ^^ear, strawboard baskets, having bought the 
patent right for our own use. It is the most handy, cheap- 
est basket we ever tried. 

The very best way of packing Strawberries for a distant 
market is this : Use shallow boxes holding from ten to 
twelve pounds; lay in the bottom a little fine hay and fresh 
leaves, such as grapevine, strawberry, raspberr}^ mulberry 
leaves; then set a layer of Strawberries, a layer of leaves 
and so on to the to]^; set some leaves on the last layer of 
Strawberries and a little hay on top of leaves, and nail up 
the cover. Several such boxes are tied up together to 
make a single case of fruit. Packed in that way, Straw- 
berries may be- shipped to a great distance, over six hun- 
dred miles by fast freight, and never get bruised or spoiled. 
We have tried it, and Strawberries shipped from this place 
arrived at San Francisco, after having been picked forty 
hours, in a splendid condition. When packed in this man- 
ner, the dealer places them himself in little baskets like 
the strawboard ones that cost but a trifle, and as fast as the 
sale goes. 

Insects Injurious to Strawberries. 

The insects that injure the Strawberry, feasting on it, 
are: the white worm, ants, slugs or naked snails, jumping 
bug, centipede or strawberr}^ scolopendra, and several kinds 
of worms and caterpillars; besides the mole and gopher, 
who injure the plants. 



24 

The fragariculturist has to watch closely his beds of 
Strawberries, and make an early attack upon the little army 
of insects, that are watching, with as much eagerness as he, 
the ripening of the luscious berries. 

Wliite Wo7nn. — It is the larvae of the Chafer or May-bug, 
a species of Scarabeus or Beetle. The Larvae has the ap- 
pearance of a large, white worm, and stays two years in 
the ground in a larvte state, before emerging out as a per- 
fect insect; it is the most dreaded enemy of a Strawberry 
l^lantation, for it takes them but a few weeks, if in large 
numbers, to devour a whole bed of Strawberry plants. 
There is no remedy against its ravages, except to kill every 
larv5?e seen in the ground while working it, or hunting up 
the perfect insect on the. bushes it lives on. In California 
they are very few, which is due likely to the absence of 
bushes on which the perfect insects do feed. In Europe 
they are ver^^common. 

Slugs or Naked Snaih. We never saw any in this part of 
California; however, they are very fond of Strawberries. 
The way to prevent them of getting at the fruit, is to sj)read 
ashes or saw-dust round the Strawberry jjlants, in which 
they get so hampered that they cannot get away, and are 
easily killed with a sharj) pointed wire. Small mounds of 
bran may be set here and there, and as they are very fond 
of it they are easily caught in the very same manner. 

Arils, — This little pest goes after the Strawberry as much 
as it does after any other fruit. To get rid of them, set on 
their regular trail saucers with honey or syrup in them, and 
when the ants are collected in the saucers in large numbers 
pour upon them boiling water. A little honey might be in- 
troduced, too, in the ants-hill; soon will the ants crowd up 
around the honey, boiling water poured into the hill will 
make dead ants of them. 

Cenlipede. — This insect is rather common ever^^where; it 
attacks the very first ripening berries, and the largest ones 
in preference. It bores in the berry a hole big enough to 
set half the body in, and sometimes coils himself up with 
whole family in one of these large berries. They seem to 
be more common in the first two weeks of ripening time. 
The best ^vay we know to get rid of centipedes, is this: at 
the head of the box used for picking Strawberries, we carry 
a pair of short-blade scissors, and whenever we find a cent- 
ipede at work or digesting, we simply cut it in too. When 
we pick a Strawberry with a hole right underneath, we are 
satisfied that it is done by a centipede, and by looking under 



o 

h 
S 

t— H 

X 

X 



25 

the mulching we surely find one or several of them making 
themselves at home, and in two pieces they go. 

Jamping-Bug. — This little beetle, which jumps up like an 
acrobat, is over half an inch long, having exactly the shape 
of a muskmelon seed. It bores a hole into the berry, 
sticking half the body in and feasting in perfect ease. We 
do operate on this little acrobat with the scissors, and as 
unceremoniously as we do with the centipede. This jump- 
ing-bug, as soon it is touched, jamps up several inches in 
the air, falling back on his legs, and in this way makes 
good his escape. 

Worms of all kinds, found on the plants or fruit, are 
treated in the same manner. 

Mole, — This little animal, once in a Strawberry bed, w^ill 
cause much injury to the plants, by disturbing the roots 
while opening his subterranean galleries in search of in- 
sects to feed on. They have two sets of galleries, one right 
under the surface, the other six to twelve inches deeper in 
the ground, with passages from one set of galleries to the 
other. It is very hard to catch moles with traps or poison; 
the best is to keep a watch and kill him either with the gun 
or spade. 

Gopher. — This is a regular California institution, and, 
indeed, the5^ are plenty in this State. The gopher feeds 
on roots, but somehow he does not care for those of the 
Strawberry; however, gophers injure the plants in the same 
way as moles do, by cutting or disturbing the roots, in run- 
ning his galleries right under the plants. Same remedy as 
with the mole: gun, poison or trap. 

Malaciies of the Strawberry. 

The Strawberry is quite hardy, and very little subject to 
diseases of any kind, though sometimes it is attacked by 
jaundice. This complaint is due either to the poor quality 
of the soil, or its being too dry, or having been given too 
fresh manure; in all cases it will j)romptly get green and 
well again if watered three or four times with w^ater in 
which has been dissolved | of an ounce of sulphate of iron 
per gallon; a gallon being sufficient for 25 to 40 plants. 
When the soil is too poor, some compost or manure must 
be spread on the surface; if not, the malady would break 
out again among the plants. 



26 



The Art of Preparing Strawberries. 

After Strawberries have been picked and gathered, only 
half the work has been done, and they have to undergo a 
certain operation before being ready to be eaten up. 

Whichever way you intend to have Strawberries served 
on the table, 3^011 will have first to clean them up. Taking 
a common jack-knife, with its point you take off the hull 
still adhering to the fruit, and the berries will not bruise so 
much than if done with the fingers. Cut out, too, any 
part of those large berries that get sjDoiled or green on one 
side. Set the berries in a deep vessel, then pour w^ater 
gentW on them to wash out the sand or dirt. Last, put the 
berries into a strainer to dry some; always serve them half 
an hour after having them in water. It is a great mistake 
to think that Strawberries when washed do lose their flavor; 
if they do, half an hour after the operation they get it 
back again; and surely they look nicer, fresher and more 
tempting yet; however, as a wet Strawberry will spoil 
quicker than one that has not been put into water, people 
must see that Strawberries be washed only half an hour at 
the most before eating them. 

Sugar and Straioherries. — Some amateurs eat them so, 
dry, with nothing else but w^ell pulverized sugar. They are 
served on the table all ready sugared. 

Wine and Straivberries. — Set some crushed sugar on your 
Strawberries, and pour a little water on it so as to make it 
melt; never use pulverized sugar for this dish. Pour then 
the quantity of wane that you wish; good, superior wine, 
and not sour, poor claret. 

Brandy and Straivberries. — Use crushed sugar, and 
melt it like the preceding dish, but put in a little more 
water and a half tea-spoonful of cognac only to a person, 
and for a good sized dish; taken this way, Strawberries di- 
gest splendidly. 

Cream and Straivberries. — Spread powdered sugar on the 
Strawberries, and add the Cream. This is the worst way 
of preparing and eating Strawberries; for, taken Avith cream 
they are rather heavy on the stomach and of slow digestion. 
This dish does agree better with sick persons, and yet they 
must not eat too much of it. 



27 

Chmnpagne and Straicheyrries. — Ye, whose palate has got 
so delicate and hard to suit, amateurs and gourmands, just 
try Champagne and Strawberries. First spread powdered 
sugar on the Strawberries, then put in the vanilla cream 
prepared to that effect, stir up, and last pour on the whole 
some sparkling Champagne. After having done honor 
to this splendid dish, you have nothing to desire; you are 
haj^py. It was likely a dish of Champagne and Straw- 
berries that mother Eve presented to Adam, and for which 
the poor fellow w^as banished from the Eden. No such 
fears with you, and you had better try. 

Preserving Strawberries. 

There are several ways of making Strawberry preserves; 
however, the best method is this: 

Strawberries 2 pounds. 

Raspberries J " 

Sugar _ 2 

AVater \ quart. 

First dissolve the sugar in the water, which must be boil- 
ing at the time, and keep the whole boiling till a drop of 
syrup taken on a jolate will stick to it without running; 
that will take from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, ac- 
cording to the quantity of syrup made or the shape of the 
vessel used; the wider is the vessel, the more rapidly does 
the evaporation take place; anyhow, do not set it in more 
than four inches of water in height. 

When the syrup has been thus boiled into the desired 
consistency, the Strawberries, well cleaned, are thrown in 
it, with the juice i xtracted from the Raspberries; let it boil 
for 25 to 35 minutes; it is then put at once in cans. If pots 
are used that are not hermetically sealed, to keep such pre- 
serves a longer time, the pots have to be filled up not quite 
full, enough room being left for a lnjer of currant jelly 
about J of an inch thick. A week after, a j)iece of paper 
dipped in brand}^ is set on the top of the jelly, and the 
cover fixed on. 

Strawberry Jelly. 

Take: 

Strawberries 2 pounds. 

Raspberries h " 

Sugar.... 2 '' 

Gum Arabic 2 ounces. 



Put in the vessel used to make jellies, a layer of Strawber- 
ries, then a layer of sugar, so on to the top; add the rasp- 
berry juice, make it boil for 30 to 40 minutes without stir- 
ing up; add the gum arabic, which has been previously 
dissolved in a little cold w^ater. Put the whole in a r-ieve 
and let it run out of itself. Fill up the pots or cans, and 
do with it as with currant jelly. 

Always keep jellies in a dry place. 

Sometimes jelly obtained from very watery Strawberries 
will mould some; in that case the jelly is put back on the 
fire and boiled for several minutes. 

Medicinal Properties of Strawberries. 

The ancients regarded Strawberries as a delicate and val- 
uable dish, and attributed to them great medicinal virtues. 
But at that remote epoch, it was impossible to jirocure 
enough of that little fruit for general use, the only varieties 
known being the Wood or Everbearing, which grew wild 
in the woods of Europe; while the case is different with us, 
and now-a-days Strawbeiries can be had in quantities to suit. 
It may, therefore, be interesting for amateurs of Strawber- 
lie^ to know what are their therapeutic properties. 

A memoir addressed to the Society of Sciences of Paris, 
by M. Sauquet, claims that the free use of Strawberries has 
cured persons affected with gout. The great Linnaeus 
cured himself of that disease, too, by the use of Straw- 
berries. 

Gesner says that the juice extracted from Strawberries 
soaked in alcohol, and taken by doses of a spoonful morn- 
ing and evening, brings relief to persons affected with 
gravel. Strawberries, indeed, have been highly spoken of in 
all calculus disorders. 

Boerhaave affirms that in that case this special property 
of Strawberries reside in the grains. These grains are in- 
digestible, and will cause sometimes irritation of the 
bowels; on the other hand, like all small fruits which have 
grains in large numbers, they will relieve persons subject 
to costiveness. 

Gelnecke, of Stettin, recommended that fruit as a vermi- 
fuge, and used it against the taenia or tapeworm. 

Van Swieten asserts that insane persons were cured after 
a few weeks' daily use of several pounds of Strawberries. 

Schulze, Hoffman, Galibert, cite cases of consumption 
cured by the use of Strawberries, which cases, however, are 
believed to have been only pulmonary catarrh with slow 
fever and marasm. 



29 

Apulee praises Strawberries smashed up in honey, for 
relieving pains residing in the spleen. 

Strawberries are cooling and quite digestive, and agree 
ver}^ well with persons of a bilious or sanguine constitution. 

Strawberries, served with cream, are said to be injurious 
to dyspeptics. 

General Hints on Fragariculture. 

When starting a Strawberrj^ plantation for market pur- 
poses, do not set more plants than you can really take care 
of. 

Keep your ground in good order, the weeds out, the sur- 
face loosened, the runners otf; have alwavs in view that to 
have large Strawberries and heavy crops, you must do 
something for it. If you think that it is too much work 
and bother to keep your beds clean and the plants in good 
condition, then do not raise StraAvberries at all. 

In tilling up your baskets for market, be careful to not 
let in any spoiled Strawberries, and place the largest ones 
on the top and in the bottom; that way, people will not 
get disappointed at finding big berries, too, in the bottom 
of the basket. Always arrange your berries in nice shape 
on the top of your basket, assorting those of various colors 
and different varieties m such a way that the baskets will 
look so much more attractive. 

As long as you can do it, always mix up varieties; such 
a dish is by far preferable to one made out of a single 
variety. 

Fill up your baskets well, and rather give 17 ounces of 
berries for a pound than 15 ounces. 

Get up early to pick Strawberries, which, in fact, ought 
to be picked before the sun gets too hot; if picked through 
the day, set them immediately in a cool cellar till shipping 
time. 

No matter how large is a berry, v>^hen there is a little hole 
in it, made by insect or bird, throw it away; nothing spoils 
the look of a box of nice Strawberries as a berry with a 
hole in it. 

In short, be diligent with your work, tasty and honest in 
the making up of 3*our baskets, and fair in all your deal- 
ings, and you will find that little business lucrative enough. 



30 



EXPLANATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS. 



We have had photographs of fourteen number one varieties 
taken, out of 37 varieties kept on our place, and of which 
13 varieties will fruit next season (1877) for the first time. 
As each number of our treatise contains at least two such 
photographs, we shall here give a full description of those 14 
varieties. We must say, first, that those photographs rep- 
resent the average large size, and not largest Strawberries, 
raised by our method, and without forcing whatever. They 
are all hardy and have perfect blossoms. 

English Varieties. 

Cockscomb (from the Koyal garden of Frogmore). — Very 
large — indeed, the largest raised on our place; cretiform 
and cuneiform, dark crimson, sub-acid, productive. Bear 
best on the first bearing year. Seeds well outside of little 
cavities; semi-early. 

Baron Lynan de Lynich. — Very large, well-shaped, long 
and thick; dark, brilliant crimson; semi-early; moderately 
productive. Seeds standing well outside. 

Princess Dagmar. — Large and uniformly so; slightly 
conical shape, nice light crimson, sometimes of a bricky 
red; rich, splendid flavor, sweet and fragrant; seeds neatly 
set in small cavities; very productive, and a regular yielder 
every year. Very hardy and vigorous. First ripening ber- 
ries rather pale; keeps on bearing for a long time; stout 
grower, many runners. Biennial. A most desirable va- 
riety for family use. 

The Lady. — Large, broad, well-shaped, light crimson, 
rosy, like a maiden's cheek; sweet and flavored; fruit stalks 
long, with berries hanging in clusters; seeds not too deeply 
set; bears very regularly every year. Season, medium to 
late. Biennial. It is a pale, delicate berry, very produc- 
tive. Foliage light, runners few; very hardy. 



31 

Alice Nicholson. — Medium large, well-shaped, light 
crimson, sweet and flavored. A parent to Princess Dag- 
mar. "Very productive, hardy and vigorous. 

Alcott Pineapple. — Very large, cuneiform, uniformly 
large and well-shaped; bright glossy scarlet color. Plants 
very low, thin foliage. Productive. Seeds well outside of 
cavities. Late. Yery desirable for a distant market. 

Exhibition. —The sweetest and best flavored berry of all, 
but very poor in color; light crimson, medium large, well- 
shaped; plants hardy, thick foliage, leaves small; very pro- 
ductive and keeps so for six years. Seeds slightly imbed- 
ded Very late. 

American Varieties. 

Col. Cheney. — A great favorite in the Eastern States, 
and a very desirable sort to keep. Large, triangular- 
shaped, sub acid; bright, light scarlet color, approaching 
the orange; quite showy, very hardy, vigorous and pro- 
ductive. Seeds slightly imbedded. 

Jucunda. — Very large, sub-acid, dark scarlet color, pro- 
ductive; season medium to late. Seeds numerous, but 
standing well outside, which makes this variety very desira- 
ble for a distant market. 

Felix Gillet's Seedlings and Hybrids. 

Gen. Grant — (hybrid). — Large and uniformly so; trian- 
gular, dark scarlet, sweet and well-flavored; berries stand- 
ing up on their stalks inside the thick foliage, which is of a 
light green w^ith a light crimson border. Do not grow 
many runners; productive, particularly on its first bearing 
year. Seeds well outside. Good for a distant market. 
Season medium to late. 

La Conique — (Seedling). — Long, conical, bright crimson, 
sweet and quite flavored. Foliage rather low; small leaves. 
Seeds standing well outside. Season medium. Moderately 
productive. 

Sierra Nevada — (Seedling). — A parent of Baron Lynan 
de Lynich; very large, well-shaped, dark crimson, a little 
acid; thick foliage. Hardy. Late. Moderately productive. 



32 

Gov. Booth — (Seedling). — Originated from Roheri Trail 
(English); large, rounded, light crimson, sweet and flavored. 
Thick foliage, hardy and vigorous. Late. Moderately 
productive. 

Granger — (Seedling). — Obtained from Princess Dagmar; 
Large, bright crimson, very sweet and flavored. Product- 
ive. Hardy and vigorous, like the Princess. Our newest 
variety. 

Amadop — (Seedling). — Medium size, bright scarlet, sweet, 
moderately productive; small leaves. Its principal merit 
is to be biennial and the first one to bear in the fall, as 
early as August. 

The varieties we procured from France are: Aurelie, 
Bonne bouche, Bi lie de Nantes, Mithridafes, Bourguignonne. 

The}^ will fruit for the first time with us next season 
(1877); also the following varieties, obtained from a noted 
fragariculturist of Ohio: Sterling, Norman, Margaret, Seth 
Boyden, No. 28, Curiosity, S. B. Seedling. All these are 
seedlings, while the above French varieties are hybrids. 

Besides, we have other valuable American and English 
varieties in full bearing, to wit: Wilson's Albany, Downer, 
Kentucky, Green's Prolific, Metcalf, N. Y. Scarlet, French 
(all American). 

Bifleman, Garibaldi, Kimberly Pine, Virginia (English), 
Everbearing variety, Buisson de Gaillon, or Bush-Alpine 
(red). 



C/^ 



FELIX aiLLET'S 

Nursery of Fruit Trees, 

Varieties introduced in California from Europe. 



Walnut. 

Proeparturiens. 

Chestnut. 

Marrou de L3'on, 
Marron Combale. 

Filberts. 

White Aveline, 
Red Aveline, 
Grosse de Piedmont. 
Du Chilly. 

Pears. 

Bergamotte, 
Eoj'ale D'hiver, 
Passe-Crassanne, 
Duchesse d'Angouleme, 
Doyenne D'hiver, 
Beurre Clairgeau. 

Apples. 

White Calville, 
Red Calville, 
Igonette, 
Canada Reinette, 
Gros api, 
Petit api. 

Peaches. 

Grosse mignonue, 
Early purple, 
Nivette. 



Cherries. 

Guigne marbree (very early). 
Bigarreau de Mezel, 
Noire luisante. 

Almonds. 

Duchesse, or Paper Shell. 

Medlar. 

Monstrueuse. 

Plums. 

White Green Gage, 
D'Oulins Green Gage, 
Violette Green Gage. 

Mulberry. 

Spanish Black. 

Gooseberries, 

Princess Royal, 
Taylor's Belleroijhon, 
Shadwick's Sportsman. 

Currants. 

Imperial White, 
Imperial Red, 
Cherry, 
Black. 

Grapes. 

Thomery, Jalabert, Violet, Ob- 
long, Tenerif, Malvoisie, Royal 
Red, Pondicherj^ Rose, Pino, 
Teinturier, Medoc, etc. 



Besides, all the best Varieties already raised in California. 



SILK WORM EGGS 

ALWAYS ON HAND 
AT 

' FELIX GILLET'S 

EXPERIMENTAL COCOONERY AND MULBERRY PLANTATION 



Best varieties of Mulberry Trees 

Silk ^VV^orra Feeding. 

Grafted Kose-leaved, 

Moms Japonica. 

Both introduced in California, Utah and Mexico, 
by FELIX GILLET, of Nevada City, Cal. 



I Thirty - seven varieties of the choicest, largest and 
most productive Strawberries. 

(English, American, French and F. Gillet's seedlings.) 



FRENCH EVERBEARING RASPBERRIES, 

(Tliree Orops a Year*) 

A. most splendid variety. 



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